and criminality in a Federal agency.
#
# He wants to inform Congress, but he is forbidden to do so unless he first
# gets the approval of the very agency involved.
#
# And Congress has no power to change to change those rules so it can get
# the facts.
#
# That is the legal position---the extraordinary position---taken by the
# Clinton Administration. It is as far-reaching an assertion of executive
# power to keep secrets from Congress as any president has ever made: the
# power to cover up crimes of the state.
#
# The Administration's position was set out last Nov. 26 in a legal
# memorandum, from the Justice Department to the CIA saying anyone
# disclosing classified information to a member of Congress would
# be violating the Constitution.
#
# James Madison must be rolling in his grave at that claim.
#
# The principal of separation of powers, which he wrote into the
# Constitution, was designed to let each of the three branches of
# Government check abuse by the others.
#
# Congress does not like to tangle with the executive on claims of
# national security.
#
# But will it lie down before this claim of exclusive, imperial power?

The New York Times, June 20, 1997

President Threatens Veto of Senate Bill for CIA

By TIM WEINER

WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Thursday passed a secret
spending bill for U.S. intelligence, but the White
House threatened to veto it over a provision that would
protect whistleblowers.

The Senate bill would let employees of the Central
Intelligence Agency and other branches of the
government tell members of Congress classified
informati